Geology dominates this land of contrasts where the volcanic Cascade Range shares the Sierra's northern domain. From boiling, mud-spitting fumaroles to vast verdant forests and sparkling lakes, nature is king up here where a few quaint towns mark the only human intrusion.

Highway 49 meanders through much of California's Sierra foothill gold country. Here, dozens of small towns, survivors of the Gold Rush's booms and crashes, preserve pieces of the excitement of the 1850s and ‘60s when gold was king. Numerous state parks, museums and visitor centers showcase, not only the Native Americans who first lived here, but also the 49ers, the pioneer families and the towns and businesses they built. And in today's Gold Rush towns you will find a plethora of antique shops, restaurants, museums and more than a few wine tasting rooms.

Much of US 395 is a narrow asphalt ribbon that separates the steep, eastern Sierra escarpment from the desert lands to the east. In only a few scattered places are there passes through the high mountains that allow roads to climb westward over the summit. Highway 120's Tioga Pass into Yosemite National Park, is one of those passes, and it's the highest Sierra pass at 9,945 feet above sea level.

Within California's Southern Sierra, several national parks dominate the landscape. Yosemite National Park is the most widely known, especially for its spectacular waterfalls, yet to its south, Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks, hold their own magic. Within these two contiguous national parks you will find the largest trees in the world, miles of marble caves, and hundreds of lakes and streams.

(10 miles/15 minutes from Placerville to Camino)
Apple Hill is a premier apple-growing region with plenty of opportunities to pick, buy and eat the tasty fruit and its by-products such as apple pie, applesauce and apple donuts.

(10 miles/20 minutes west on Whitney Portal Road from Lone Pine)
At an elevation of 14,494 feet, Mount Whitney is the highest point in the the lower 48 states, and this will get you as close as you can drive

Yosemite National Park
(44 miles/1.25 hours from Mariposa)
The majority of people who visit this 1200-square-mile park seldom get beyond Yosemite Valley and its magnificent waterfalls-but there's much more here, if you have the time and energy to do some hiking.

(35 mi/1 hour from Yosemite Valley)
Enjoy the dramatic mountain scenery while riding on the Yosemite Sugar Pine Railroad, then get up close and personal with giant Sequoias in Yosemite's Mariposa Grove.

(47 miles/1 hour from Fish Camp)
Follow Highway 41 south from Fish Camp and you will cross numerous creeks and the Fresno River before coming to Millers Corere; turn east toward Millerton Lake where a historic courthouse museum sits above the reservoir's waterline.

(72 miles/ 2.15 hours from Millerton Lake)
From Millerton Lake, jump over to nearby Highway 168, designated the Sierra Heritage National Scenic Byway, and head back into the high country for a short hike and a long soak in Mono Hot Springs.

(125 miles/3.5 hours from Mono Hot Springs):
There are a couple of mountain road alternatives, but no quick shortcuts from Mono Hot Springs to these national parks, so enjoy the scenery-it's well worth your time!

(60 miles/2 hours through Sequoia-Kings Canyon national parks)
The Kaweah River tumbles from the high mountains of Sequoia National Park and is temporarily slowed by a dam at Kaweah Lake Recreation Area.